Caramel carrots only better! Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, butter and a trio of lectin-conscious "sugars" make these rainbow caramel carrots the best you'll ever taste!
Inspired by my chef friend Barb Hill, who founded the Snake Creek Grill in Heber City, Utah, these spiced caramel carrots are everything I loved about Barb's and more. While the Snake Creek Grill has undergone a change of ownership, the caramel carrots are still on the menu, and I'm sure chef Dean Hottle does them proud. The carrots I remember are roasted to perfection and smothered with a sweet and buttery caramel sauce.
Now, we lectin-conscious folk can't do a lot of sugar! So my LFG version uses a combo of sugar alternatives, including Lakanto Maple Flavored Syrup, golden monk fruit and a tiny bit of coconut nectar for the essential "molasses" flavor. Read on to get the rest of the recipe for this delectable side dish.
Rainbow carrots are not only beautiful, but each color offers different health benefits. Orange for healthy eyes, purple to reduce inflammation, and yellow for a strong reproductive system.
The Recipe
Spiced Caramel Carrots
5 Rainbow Carrots
1 T Olive Oil
1/4 t Salt
1 Cup Organic Vegetable Broth (make your own to avoid lectins)
1 T Lakanto Golden Monk Fruit Sweetener
1/4 t Ground Cinnamon
1/4 t Ground Ginger
1/4 t Ground Nutmeg
1 t Lakanto Maple Flavored Syrup
1 t Dark Coconut Nectar
2 T Grassfed Butter
Herb Garnish
Instructions:
Peel and cut carrots into 1 inch slices. In a Dutch oven (I like Le Creuset), heat olive oil on medium heat. Add carrots and brown them for about 5 minutes. Add broth and reduce heat. Simmer covered for about 20 minutes.
While carrots are simmering, make the spiced caramel sauce. Put golden monk fruit and spices into a small bowl and whisk together. Add syrup and nectar and whisk together. Melt butter and add to mixture. Whisk together. Set aside.
Continue simmering carrots until fork tender. Uncover and turn up the heat to high, stirring gently with a rubber scraper, to give carrots a quick final browning (see image) Turn off heat and put cooked carrots into a serving bowl.
Immediately dump the caramel sauce into the hot Dutch oven. Do not turn on heat. The caramel will cook in the already hot pan. Let it bubble for a minute or so (see image above). Whisk the caramel to get the browned carrot pieces off the pan and into the sauce. Pour the spiced caramel sauce over the cooked carrots. Be sure to scrape out every bit with a rubber scraper. It's too good to waste a drop. Garnish the dish with fresh seasonal herbs.
This side dish goes great with herb roasted chicken or pork chops. Enjoy!